SW CHICAGO Blog

The Differences Between Open-Cell & Closed-Cell Spray Foam Insulation

What is Spray Foam Insulation?

Spray foam insulation is a strong insulator and air sealant often used on ceilings, walls, and floors which come in two variants, open-cell and closed-cell. Each has its own benefits and uses, depending on your home's needs. Open-cell spray foam is most easily recognized by its bubbly, cloud-like appearance and is more commonly installed in hotter climates due to its ability to reduce heat transfer. Closed-cell is more rigid and dense giving it better structural support and often the choice when considering a vapor barrier.

The chemicals used in spray foam are mixed on-site and then sent through a hose into the stud cavity, where the chemicals react together and harden to create a long-term barrier. In order for this to be done properly, insulation technicians must be trained and certified to ensure that the chemicals are properly handled. This is to ensure the chemicals are balanced, safely applied, and that the expansion of the foam is set and complete before the household reenters to avoid any negative effects that the unset chemicals can cause.

Closed-Cell Spray Foam

R-Value

The numerical measurement of the material's ability to slow heat transfer, which is the rate at which heat moves through a structure is known as the insulations R-Value. Closed-cell insulation has an average R-Value of 6.5 per inch of depth which is one of the highest R-values out of your insulation options. With a high R-Value, closed-cell spray foam is efficient at keeping out unwanted heat in the summer and trapping desired warmth during the winter.

Having a  higher R-value means more than just being better at slowing the rate of heat transfer. Having a high R-value also typically means less material needs to be applied to your home while still doing an efficient job. When spray foam is applied, it fills cracks, gaps, and holes in the structure, which can block potential air leaks. This air sealing capability helps your home stay temperature regulated while also blocking the cracks that bacteria, allergens, and other outdoor pollutants use to get into your home.

Moisture Barrier

Some types of insulation can also help prevent moisture and condensation from affecting your structure by creating a moisture barrier. Having this assistance is important to prevent high humidity in your home, which can increase the risk of mold growth and can even attract pests like dust mites and termites.

When there are dangerous pathogens circulating in your home like mold and bacteria, it can lead to dangerous illnesses and health problems. Mold spores are harmful to any individual and should be taken care of immediately regardless of whether anyone in your home suffers from illnesses such as asthma. Closed-cell spray foam provides a necessary preventative measure to improve the safety of your home.

Structural Support

Due to the high-density and rigid nature of closed-cell foam, this insulation can also provide structural support to your building. When the closed-cell foam is applied to walls, in between ceiling or floor joists, and even on roofs, it'll help strengthen the structural support. While it's most often used for commercial and industrial buildings this doesn't mean that the building envelope of your home won't benefit from this aspect of closed-cell spray foam. While it's always dependent on variables like code requirements, climate zone, and even regular weather patterns, your local insulation experts can provide more information on how closed-cell spray foam can contribute to your home's comfort, safety, and savings.

Open-Cell Spray Foam

R-Value

In comparison to closed-cell spray foam, open-cell has a significantly lower R-value with an average R-value of 3.7 per inch of depth, which is still higher than most materials that are commonly installed in residential buildings. However, if you still wish for a higher R-value you can ask to have more material applied because the chemicals react as the spray foam is being applied resulting in a somewhat customizable thickness.

It’s important to figure out which type of insulation is best for your specific home and climate. For example, if your home is in a hotter climate, open-cell spray foam is more commonly used than closed-cell spray foam. As mentioned earlier, an evaluation from your local insulation experts will help you and your household determine what kind of material is best for the needs of your home.

Noise Reduction

Open-cell spray foam is considered a better sound barrier than closed-cell spray foam due to the material in this insulation being more porous, which is better for trapping sound. Insulation provides noise reduction, working as a sound barrier in the same way it slows heat transfer; the material slows the movement of sound waves through a structure, helping to reduce noise coming in from outside and other rooms or floors. The hard and rigid nature that makes closed-cell foam exceptional at preventing heat transfer and structural support makes it weak at reducing noise due to there being less air that the sound waves need to travel through. Because open-cell spray foam is less dense than closed-cell foam, it’s able to better reflect the noise in your home.

Flexible

Open-cell spray foam is considered a lightweight material, as it typically only weighs about ½ pound per cubic foot. Due to its weight, this type of insulation is more flexible than other materials because of the interconnected open cells. The flexibility of open-cell spray foam is beneficial for the expansion and contraction your home experiences throughout the year due to the different moisture levels in the air, which you may notice as the house “settles” throughout the year. This helps to prevent air leaks, which are problematic even as tiny openings and cracks throughout the building envelope.

Discuss Your Options with Southwest Chicago Experts

At Koala Insulation of Southwest Chicago, our goal is to provide our customers with the best insight into what their home needs depending on the environment you live in as well as what kind of budget and schedule you have. Our team of experts offers free evaluations in order to give you and your household a detailed breakdown of your insulation and air sealing's current condition. Contact Koala Insulation of Southwest Chicago today to learn more about the impact of insulation on your environment and schedule your free evaluation.